Zucchini Soup with Gruyere and Asiago Cheese

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This recipe began life as an experiment designed to make a simple first course for a special lunch or dinner. A recipe I found in Eating Well magazine served as the base for the zucchini soup I wanted to make, but my first stab at making it was bland. Never one to waste food, I did a quick scan of the refrigerator to find something that might perk up the flavor of what was sitting in the pot. I pulled out some cheese and a lemon and incrementally began to add them to the soup, tasting as I went along. I think I finally got it right. At the very least, I can promise it is better than the undoctored version of the soup with which I started. I like this soup, but I am not crazy about it. I will make it again when zucchini is cheap and plentiful, but I will hold off until then. Here is the version of the recipe I used to make the soup.

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup - Passato di Peperoni - Away A While Recipe Favorites

Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup - Passato di Peperoni

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Storms pass, but when you're in the midst of one it's wonderful to have a meal that will warm the cockles of your heart. Bob is grilling a chicken to accompany this wonderfully light soup that originated in a Florentine trattoria. Its molten color evokes summer and the soup captures the heady flavor of peppers that have ripened under the Tuscan sun. Served hot or cold, Passato di Peperoni, is a perfect first course, and a wonderful way to begin a meal. This is really simple to make. The trick to making what could be an ordinary soup spectacular, lies in the roasting of the peppers. No short cuts should be taken here. I've found I get the best flavor if the peppers are drizzled with olive oil and placed in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes before they go into the stockpot. Once that's done, you're on your way to having one of the best soups you've ever tasted. I highly recommend this. As a matter of act, I happen to love this soup. Serve it with a lovely salad, some great bread and plain grilled meat or poultry for a peasant feast that kings will envy. You'll find the recipe here.

                    

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Carrot and Fennel Soup - Away A While Recipe Favorites

Carrot and Fennel Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...At risk of life and limb, I'm throwing tradition to the wind and plan to serve a non-traditional feast on Thanksgiving Day. I'm not jaded or blase, I'd just like something different for a change. At some point before the holiday, I'll stuff and roast a turkey. That will guarantee the aromas of the holiday grace my kitchen and assure leftovers for midnight sandwich raids, but the big day itself is going to feature new dishes that we've tried and found to be exceptional. My intent, please God, is to prepare a meal where every course has the socks of the assembled guests going up and down. I plan to start with a soup that was new to us this year. It has quite a pedigree. Amanda Hesser created a chunky version of the soup for The New York Times Magazine and Molly Wizenberg featured a pureed version of it on her blog, Orangette. It is wonderful either way, but I'm going with the pureed version of it for the holiday. I have lovely small cups for creamed soups that I like to use as starters for holiday meals and they are perfect for serving small portions of this vibrant, nearly creamless, soup. It is, of course, delicious, but it has the added virtues of being cheap and easy. While my description is a bit inelegant, it is apt, and the soup is a perfect starter for special meals. It has bright and layered flavors and can be made a day or two ahead of serving, so please hold on to your socks. You are going to love this one. You'll find the recipe here.

                    

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Celery and Potato Soup - Away A While Recipe Favorites

Celery and Potato Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While this soup is very inexpensive to make, it is less substantial than most of the dishes that have been featured on Frugal Foodie Friday. I decided to share it with you because I know there are times when even those on restricted food budgets want something special to start a holiday meal. I thought this soup would be lovely to serve as a first course on Valentine's Day or Easter Sunday and I wanted to post it so those of you who are interested have ample time to do a trial run. The soup was developed by Martha Rose Shulman for The New York Times, and the first time I skimmed through her recipe, I knew it was a keeper. I was not, however, prepared for how delicious the soup would actually be. It is a winner on many levels. The soup is a light celery puree that is thickened with a single potato, and while the combination may sound mundane, I think you'll find it works wonderfully well and will get your meal off to a festive start. If leeks and the walnut oil are not available don't stress. Replace the leeks with another small onion and bypass the use of walnut oil altogether. How do you rate a recipe that is inexpensive to make, easy to prepare and a delight to the palate? I guess that depends on the reviewer, but I can tell you this soup made my socks go up and down and its been a while since that happened. I do hope you will try this soup. It is really good stuff. The recipe for this treasure can be found here.

                    

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